(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to methods and apparatus for collecting and processing granular material and other compositions.
More particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for mining and metallurgically processing granular ore.
In a further respect, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for admixing granular material with a fluid to produce a slurry and for then removing and processing the slurry.
(2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Dredge pumps for removing water that has gathered in mine shafts and other low lying areas are known. Since such water often includes suspended or admixed dirt or other debris, dredge pumps are provided with filters or other means to protect the pump impeller from stones, gravel, or other debris contained in the water being removed by the pumps. While in some instances it is preferred to allow as much solid matter as possible to settle from water before the water is removed, in other instances an objective is to remove dirt, gravel, and other material along with the water. Toward this end, it would be highly desirable to provide apparatus which could be used both to produce a slurry mixture of water and solids and to remove the resulting slurry mixture for processing.
Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to provide an improved apparatus that could be used substantially simultaneously to produce a slurry comprised of solids and of at least one fluid and then to remove the resulting slurry mixture for processing.
Therefore, it is a principal object of the invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for removing fluids, slurries, and slurries.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus for substantially simultaneously producing a slurry and removing the slurry.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus for removing granular ore from bodies of water and for processing the granular ore to separate metal-rich particles from the ore.